I love hummus. It's easy to eat, simple to make, and extremely nutritious atop its tasty and flexible qualities. Since we are a part of the CSA we get ours once a month from Wheat State Foods where the label can attest to its cleanliness and quality—two more reasons to love what Paula puts together for everyone! Maybe you are curious though: What is it?

Hummus is a blend primarily made from blended chickpeas—garbanzo beans by another name—and usually involving tahini (blended sesame seed) or olive oil as a base to smooth it out. The consistency is usually very smooth but I enjoy the raw, chunky feel of the stuff from the box. It's like chunky peanut butter compared to smooth! There are a huge number of hummus variants easily available since it has gotten popular, but you can see the difference.

There is a great disparity in scholarship on hummus, but I side with those who hold that it was present in ancient Babylon at least. Some believe it was invented in the 12th century, but no matter how you think it played out it has been around a very, very long time. Correspondingly, there are a ton of different variations, both regional and in terms of pizzazz.

Obviously, if it's plain then you get to decide how you dress it up: Hot peppers and cayenne, pureed bell peppers and black pepper, cucumber slices and black olives... Sadly, most of the storebought varieties have preservatives and some even have artificial coloring!

So I prefer to stick with the delicious stuff from Wheat State Foods.

I have to highlight Paula's wonderful success; she's made it so difficult to choose:

Which is your favorite condiment or extra which has come from the CSA box?